Tape dispenser



J. S. STULL TAPE DISPENSER Sept. 11, 1945.

Filed Dec'. 4, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 llVVf/VTOR V 5. STULL ,4 ,2. M

4 ll fl rlllllllll H m VP n 4 ATTORNEY J. s. STULL.

TAPE DISPENSER Filed Dec. 4; 1943 Se t 11, 1945.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M/l/M/m/P J 5'. 571/1. L

By J

Patented Sept. 11, 1945 TAPE DISPENSER John S. StulL-Chicago, 11]., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 4, 1943, Serial No. 512,941

Claims.

This invention relates to a dispenser for adhesive tape and more particularly to an apparatus for feeding measured and variable lengths of' gummed tape from a supply thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a tape dispenser of simple construction which may be economically manufactured and which will automatically advance tape from a supply thereof and cut the advanced tape to a selected length.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a toothed wheel or rotatable element having a plurality of teeth or tape-engaging surfaces is provided for withdrawing tape from a supply roll due to the engagement of the adhesive side of the tape with the peripheral ends of the teeth. In the apparatus, a pawl and ratchet mechanism is provided for rotating the toothed wheel an amount as determined by the position of an adjustable abutment or pin which serves to block movement of an actuating member after the actuating member has been rotated a selected distance to feed a selected quantity of tape to alignment with a spring-pressed knife, which knife is normally urged into engagement with the tape, and which is held out of engagement with the tape during movement of the wheel by a cam attached to the actuating member and operable to permit the spring to move the tape-cutting knife across the tape upon return of the actuating member to normal position.

A complete understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of the apparatus, the portion of the apparatus which supports the supply of gummedtape being broken off to conserve space;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in plan in Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 in the-direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through the portion of the mechanism for supporting and actuating the knife and taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows showing a portion of the knife-operating cam.

In the drawings, the apparatus is shown mounted upon a main supporting base 10, to which there is suitably fixed a. vertically extending support plate II. The plate H has a shouldered stud shaft 12 (Fig. 3) fixed to it by means of a nut 13. The shank of the stud shaft 12 is encircled by a collar M, which serves to space a dispensing wheel l5 from the plate H, the wheel 15 being freely rotatable about an enlarged portion [6 of the stud shaft 12. The support plate I i also has a block l1 fixed to it for holding a leaf spring 18 in spaced relation to the support plate II. A pair of machine screws 19 serve to attach the spring 18 and block l1 to the support plate H and the spring 18 is normally biased to carry its lower end (Fig. 4) to the left. Intermediate the ends of the spring l8 there are a pair of cam members 20 and 2| attached to the spring, for example, by means of rivets 22, and the lower end of the spring has a knife-supporting bracket 23 attached to it, for example, by welding it, as shown at 24. The bracket 23 is disposed at an angle to the length of the spring 18 and is provided with a clamp plate 25, which may be attached to the bracket 23 by means of machine screws 26 for holding a, knife blade 21 at an angle such that it will cut a strip of tape 28 supported on the outer periphery of teeth 29 formed on the dispensing wheel 15. The angle at which the knife blade 21 is held by the bracket 23 is such that the blade of the knife, when the spring I8 is permitted to actuate it, will pass between two adjacent teeth 29 quite close to one of the teeth. The knife will cut the tape 28, carried by the dis-' pensing wheel l5, and which has beenwithdrawn from a supply 30 and passed over a guide spool 31. The spool II is freely rotatable on a stud shaft 32, which is fixed to the support plate II and spaced therefrom by means of a spacer 33.- The guide spool 3| is thus positioned to direct tape 28, which is relatively narrower than the width of the dispensing wheel I5, into engagement with the teeth 29 of the wheel adjacent the right face of the wheel, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4, where the tape will be completely within the path of the knife blade 21, which does not completely traverse the full width of the teeth 29.

Threaded into the left end of the stud shaft l2 (Fig. 3) is a, post 40 having a reduced portion 4| on which there is rotatably mounted an ac'tuator segment 42. The actuator segment 42 carries an actuating handle 43 and is normally urged to assume the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by a coil spring 44, one end of which is bent over, as shown at 45, to enter an aperture 46 in the segment 42 and the. other end of which is bent over, as shown at 41, to enter an aperture 48 in the post 40, the body of the spring encirmay be regulated.

2 and the handle cling the post. Formed integrally with the actuator segment 42 is a cam shoulder 49 having a sloping face 50 adapted to cooperate with the face of cam member 20 on the leaf spring i8v to move the leaf spring l8 to the position shown in Fig. 4 when the actuator segment 42 is moved in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2). The cam shoulder 49 is cut away, as shown at El (Fig. l), to permit the mounting of a pawl 52 in position on the segment 42 to engage with the teeth 29 on the dispensing wheel i5. The pawl 52 is normally urged into the spaces between the teeth 29 by a leaf spring 53 and is pivoted on a pivot pin 54.

From the foregoing, it is believed to be apparent that the dispensing wheels I 5 may be driven in a clockwise direction by rocking .the handle 43 clockwise on the post 40. Inorder to prevent the movement of the'dispensing wheel 15 in a counterclockwise direction, a retaining pawl spring 55 is positioned to engage the teeth 29 resiliently. This pawl spring 55 is mounted on a block 56, which is, in turn, suitably mounted on thesupport plate H. I A stop bar 51, provided with an aperture 69 surrounding the reduced portion 4| of the post 40, has a head portion' 59 in which there is formed a socket 60 for engaging the end of the stud shaft 32, whereby the stop bar 51 is fixed in the position shown in Fig. 2, where it will be in the path or a pin 6| carried by'the actuator segment 42. A plurality of threaded apertures 62 are formed in the actuator segment 42 for receiving a threaded end of the pin 6|, which maybe in the form of a large headed machine screw. The threaded apertures 62, of which there are nine formed in the actuator segment 42, are positioned-in two arcs, the center of which isthe axis of the stud shaft l2, and these threaded apertures are so arranged that their spacing corresponds to the spacing of the teeth 29 on the dispensing wheel l5, whereby the amount of tape fed by the manipulation of the handle 43 This regulation is accomplished by placing the pin 6| in a selected aperture 62 so that the pin 3| will abut the surface 63 of the stop bar 51 after theactuator segment 42 has rocked through a predetermined arcuate distance.

, A more complete understanding of the invention may be had from the following brief description of the mode of operation of the mechanism. If it is desired to cut the gummed tape 28 into lengths corresponding to the specing of five teeth 29' on the dispensing wheel I5, the pin 6i may be positioned as shown in Fig. 43 may be rocked clockwise until the pin 6| abuts the iace'63 of the stop bar 51 and then the handle 43 may be released to permit the spring 44 to snap it back to the position shown. As the actuator segment 42, under the control of the lever 43 is moved clockwise, the pawl 52 will move oil of the peripheral face of the tooth 29, on which it is shown resting in Fig. 2, and will :be urged by the spring 53 to engage the tooth 29 to the right of the one on which the edge of the pawl is shown resting. Continued movement of the handle 43 clockwise will cause the tape dispensing wheel to move clockwise about the stud shaft l2, thus to withdraw the tape 28 from the supply, the tape adhering to the flat outer surfaces of the teeth 29. After the lever 43 has been rocked clockwise as far as it will go 'due to the engagement position shown in Fig. 5.

into lengths equal to one,

. position of the actuator segment 42 and handle a back to the position shown.

As the segment 42 was moved clockwise, the spring i8 was bent to the shape shown in Fig. 4 due to the engagement of the cam member 20 first with the sloping face 50 and then with the right side (Figs. 4 and 5) of the cam shoulder 49, thus to remove the knife blade 21 from the path of the teeth 29 to the position shown in Fig. 4. As the dispensing wheel I! moved clockwise, the spring pawl 35 was flexed to pass over the teeth 29 and as soon as the handle 43 is released, the spring pawl 55 will prevent the wheel I5 from moving counter-clockwise. When the handle 43 is released, it will, as pointed out hereinbefore, snap back to the position shown in Fig. 2 and, in so doing, will move the cam shoulder 49 on the actuator segment 42v to a position where the cam member 20 will be permitted to move, under the action of the spring l3, to the This will cause the spring [8 to move the knife 21 rapidly from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 3 to cut the tape 23, the knife blade 21 passing between the teeth 29 close to one of the teeth and ii, as assumed hereinbefore, the pin 6| was in the position shown in Fig. 2, the length of tape severed from the supply will be equal to the distance between five teeth on the dispensing wheel. If it is desired to cut the tape two, three, four, five, six,seven, eight or nine teeth, the pin 6| may be transferred to either the first, second, third. fourth, et cetera threaded apertures 32 and, since the-tape iscut on the return of the handle 43 the amount of tape fed past the knife may be regulated by adjusting the the ,pin 6|. The cam member 2|, when the knife 21 moves to the position shown to normal position,

"in Fig. 3, will move into position between two adjoining teeth 29 and thus any accidental displacement of the dispensing wheel IS in a clockwise direction will result in the spring 13 being flexed to the right by the camming action of the cam member 2| on the teeth 29 as the teeth 23 pass the cam member 2|.

From the foregoing, it is believed to be apparent that the present apparatus may be set to cut tape into any desired lengths within its limits, rapidly and without any further attention on the operator's part other than to make sure that the pin ii is set in the proper aperture 32 and then the operation of the lever 43 will result in the tape 23 being cut into the desired length, at approximately the same time that abutment member 65 on segment 42 engages the lower edge of segment 42 to stop movement of the handle 43 in a counter-clockwise direction.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tape dispensin holding a supply of adhesive tape, a rotatable element mounted adjacent thereto provided withing movement of the severing means during the passage past it of one or more of said spaced members on the rotatable element when a length apparatus. means for ofttape longer than the smallest length is to be on 2. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a rotatable element mounted adjacent thereto provided with a plurality of spaced members having strip-engaging surfaces to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, a tape-severing means for cutting the tape adjacent to said spaced members while leaving the tape adhered to said members at each side of the line of severance, means for moving said rotatable element through arcs of different lengths to provide tape sections of diflerent lengths, and means movable with the rotatable element in one direction for blocking movement of the severing means during the passage past it of one or more of said spaced members on the rotatable element depending upon the length of tape to be out.

3. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a rotatable element mounted adjacent thereto provided with a plurality of spaced members having strip-engaging surfaces to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, a tape-severing means for cutting the tape adjacent to said spaced members while leaving the tape adhered to said members at each side of the line of severance,

means for moving said rotatable element through arcs of different lengths to provide tape sections of different lengths, and cam means for blocking movement of the severing means during the passage past it of one or more of said spaced members on the rotatable element depending upon the length of tape to be cut.

4. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a rotatable element mounted adjacent thereto provided with a plurality of spaced members having strip-engaging surfaces to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, a tape-severing means for cutting the tape adjacent to said spaced members while leaving the tape adhered to said members at each side of the line of severance, means for moving said rotatable element through arcs of diflerent lengths to provide tape sections of diiferent lengths, and cam means mounted on the means for moving the rotatable means for blocking movement of the severing means during the passage past if of one or more of said spaced members on the rotatable element depending upon the length of tape to be cut.

5. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a rotatable element mounted adjacent thereto provided with a plurality of spaced members having strip-engaging surfaces to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, a tape-severing means for cutting the tape adjacent to said spaced members while leaving the tape adhered to said members at each side of the line of severance, means for moving said rotatable element through arcs of different lengths, and cooperating cam means on the severing means and on the means for moving the rotatable element for blocking movement of the severing means during the passage past it of one or more of said spaced members on the rotatable element.

6. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a toothed wheel having tape-engaging surfaces on the outer ends of the teeth to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, a pawl cooperating with the wheel to actuate it, an actuator segment for supporting said pawl, a pin settable in a plurality of positions to limit the movement of said actuator, tape-severing means for cutting tape adjacent the teeth on the wheel while leaving the tape adhered to the teeth, and means on said actuator for holding the severing means out of tapecutting position during the passage of one or more teeth past the severing means.

7. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a toothed wheel having tape-engaging surfaces onthe outer ends of the teeth to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, means cooperating with the wheel to actuate it, movable, means for supporting said means cooperating with the wheel, means settable in a plurality of positions to limit the movement of said supporting means, tape-severing means for cutting tape adjacent the teeth on the wheel while leaving the tape adhered to the teeth, and means on said supporting means for holding the severing means out of tape-cutting position during the passage of one or more teeth past the severing means.

8. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a toothed wheel having tape-engaging.surfaces on the outer ends of the teeth to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, a pawl cooperating with the wheel to actuate it, an actuator segment for supporting said pawl, a pin settable in a plurality of positions to limitthe movement of said actuator, tape-severing means for cutting tape adjacent the teeth on the wheel while leaving the tape adhered to the teeth, and means on said actuator for holding the severing means out of tapecutting position during the passage of one or more teeth past the severing means as determined by the position of the pin with respect to the actuator.

9. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a toothed wheel having tape-engaging surfaces on the outer ends of the teeth to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, a pawl cooperating with the wheel to actuate it, an actuator segment for supporting said pawl, a pin settable in a plurality of positions to limit the movement of said actuator, tape-severing means for cutting tape I adjacent the teeth on the wheel while leaving the tape adhered to the teeth, means on said actuator for holding the severing means out of tape-cuttin position during the passage of one or more teeth past the severing means, and means on the tapesevering means for disengaging it from the tape during movement of the toothed wheel by any means other than the actuator segment.

10. In a tape dispensing apparatus, means for holding a supply of adhesive tape, a toothed wheel having tape-engaging surfaceson the outer ends of the teeth to which the tape is adapted to adhere by its own adhesiveness, a pawl cooperating with the wheel to actuate it, an actuator segment for supporting said pawl, a pin settable in a plurality of positions to limit the movement of said actuator, tape-severing means for cutting tape adjacent the teeth on the wheel while leaving the tape adhered to the teeth, means on said actuator for holding the severing means out of tape-cutting position during the passageof one or more teeth past the severing means, and a cam on the severing means for cooperating with the teeth of the wheel to disengage the severing means from the tape during movement of the wheel by any means other than the actuator segment.

JOHN S. STULL. 

